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It will be more inspiring that anything, but I do think it will have a bit of a bittersweet ending. Because in the end, all 6 friends won't be able to reunite, just 5.

Saying it will have a bit of bittersweet is fair, but depending on how the show spins the situation (and even what the ending ends up being itself) it could be practically an insignificant amount of "bitter". I'd have to agree that the show is likely heading towards a "mostly inspiring, slightly bittersweet due to the loss of Menma" ending, but who knows really.

I think it actually might just be me though, since I've always found most bittersweet endings to be more inspiring than sad. I enjoy seeing people overcome hardships. It makes feeling attached to the characters very satisfying, and what really makes good dramas.

i also noticed someone was drinking CC Lemon in the op. nice attention to detail. i don't think this will save noitamina, seeing as other shows in its slot in previous years weren't "heavy hitters," and this is more of the same IMO.

who would have thunk that the best two shows this season were slice of life-esque types.. this is going to have a byousoku type ending. i can feel it.

What can I say, noitamina improves with dwindling popularity, their focus obviously would swift to audiences less susceptible to TV ads, and more picky on where they will spend money. Anyway, despite the excellent first episode (for its genre), I am still apprehensive about the studio they had many shows that started strong, but fell apart during their run (Occult Academy, Sora no Oto, Birdy remake).

As for Mari, it is great that she pulled out two great scripts in the same season, but I wonder why for this one they promoted Menma's state as a surprise it was made blatantly obvious from the first couple of scenes, which makes me a bit worried on the execution... than again with only 11 episodes at hand and a simple concept, there are less possibilities to screw up the transition of the script to screen, like that plot twist.

Finally, it is good to have shows like this and Iroha, that help certain viewers, bloggers, and reviewers to get over their silly phobia of the so called fan-service

it was made blatantly obvious from the first couple of scenes, which makes me a bit worried on the execution

It's not like they tried to hide it and failed,they never tried to hide it.

If anything that reassures me on the execution,we've only got 11 episodes,we don't have time for things like "is she real or not?",that's not the point of the show.So I like how we got that question dealt with right away.

It's not like they tried to hide it and failed,they never tried to hide it.

If anything that reassures me on the execution,we've only got 11 episodes,we don't have time for things like "is she real or not?",that's not the point of the show.So I like how we got that question dealt with right away.

You know, I am not sure whether they tried to hide it or not, that's why I am worried; if I was certain, I would be sarcastically bashing it, not having much appreciation for the studio

Originally Posted by applejuice
You know what? I think this might save the noitaminA from the chain of bombing...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

...by crossing over into territory that is at least partly occupied by otaku. So many great noitaminA shows (House of Five Leaves, in particular, my favorite show of last year) bomb because they are not aimed at any Japanese audience's sweet spot. This might just hit enough of one to succeed.

I'm afraid that's exactly why I won't be watching any more of this show. Call me when noitaminA starts making shows about adults again. I don't know why the Japanese seem so taken with reliving nostalgic visions of childhood and adolescence. It makes me think they're not very happy with their current adult lives.

It's back to Yaichi and Masu for me, perhaps followed by some Matsukata Hiroko. I'll watch a bit more of [C], though I wasn't thrilled by the first episode of that show either despite being helmed by Nakamura Kenji.

You know, I am not sure whether they tried to hide it or not, that's why I am worried; if I was certain, I would be sarcastically bashing it, not having much appreciation for the studio

I don't think they wanted to tell you out-right until the near end of the episode, but there were enough clues earlier to lead you down that train of thought anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by totoum

It's not like they tried to hide it and failed,they never tried to hide it.

If anything that reassures me on the execution,we've only got 11 episodes,we don't have time for things like "is she real or not?",that's not the point of the show.So I like how we got that question dealt with right away.

My head, you've just reminded me about H20 and it hurts my head .

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You know, I am not sure whether they tried to hide it or not, that's why I am worried

Having Memma and the dad talk at the same time without him noticing her and then having Jinta say something like "my dad didn't notice her so that must mean..." doesn't make it look like they're trying to hide it at all.

Quote:

I would be sarcastically bashing it, not having much appreciation for the studio

But none of the main staff has much of a history with A1,so that wouldn't seem fair to me.

To be honest guys, I don't see this show getting more depressing later on. I mean, someone already died. Pretty hard to top that.

Which isn't to say it can't be a tearjerker. It can still make you cry, but it's most certainly not because the story will take a sad turn.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Call me when noitaminA starts making shows about adults again. I don't know why the Japanese seem so taken with reliving nostalgic visions of childhood and adolescence. It makes me think they're not very happy with their current adult lives.

While it might be too early to tell, but the feeling I get from the first episode was actually all about moving on from childhood/adolescence (not reliving it); that dwelling in the past (especially traumatic experiences) is childish and that moving forward is the adult thing to do. Or at least, that's the direction I think the series is going towards to. I mean, what other direction can Jinta go when his current self is still all emo about the past, about not being able to say sorry to Menma before she died?

So yeah, if anything, AnoHana is actually trying to convey the exact opposite of what you think it is trying to tell us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westlo

I actually thought noitaminA had stuffed up not getting Iroha into their time slot thinking it was a perfect show for it. It looks like noitaminA had it covered with AnoHana though.. and hopefully next season's Bunny Drops keeps it up.

I can't see how they can screw up Usagi Drops to be honest. As someone who mainly reads manga/watch anime for shipping reasons, Usagi Drops having ZERO of anything for me to ship (or at least not until the time skip ), and me having read every scanslation of it... that's saying something. The source is THAT good IMO. It would take numerous and huge blunders to really mess Usagi Drops.

But hey, can't say I was always right so...

Kinda weird though, as I thought both Hanasaku Iroha and this show are too 'jdrama-like' to be ever a hit to otaku, like TT before it. So yeah, perplexed at how it got to the top 100 of preorders, let alone #2.

Having Memma and the dad talk at the same time without him noticing her and then having Jinta say something like "my dad didn't notice her so that must mean..." doesn't make it look like they're trying to hide it at all.

I was not clear, the twist is certainly in the script, what I am questioning is the execution... storyboard onwards. From the few promos I remember, I was expecting a huge surprise, which was revealed casually within a couple of minutes into the show... Now this can be intentional from the script (therefore promotion junk), or unintentional from incompetent personnel, or both, or none

Quote:

Originally Posted by totoum

But none of the main staff has much of a history with A1,so that wouldn't seem fair to me.

True, but A-1 still provides the bulk of the personnel that draw, storyboard, etc. You know 90% of what you see... take the best director and give him crappy personnel and you'll have a fail, but not vice versa.

Anyway, I am nitpicking here, since there is just one episode to draw conclusion from, and I am quite happy to see attention drawn by audiences that loathe shows with certain elements (psgels blog is an excellent example) slowly understanding that sex and plot can perfectly coexist in quality anime.

I still have a hard time believing this show was at the top of any preorder lists. It just doesn't seem to have any major otaku selling points as far as I can tell. Maybe they were getting Clannad vibes?

I was not clear, the twist is certainly in the script, what I am questioning is the execution... storyboard onwards. From the few promos I remember, I was expecting a huge surprise, which was revealed casually within a couple of minutes into the show...

Well, isn't exactly what they did. From the very first scenes I thought Menma was just a very annoying little sister to Jintan and he was just ignoring her.
The twist occurs when she sits on him in front of dad, and he doesn't notice at all, but prior to this, there were two strong hints: 1) the father entering and only greeting Jintan (as if there was only one person there) 2) more a fact than a hint, when Jintan is preparing ramen, we see the reflection on the cupboard's mirror.. and there's no Menma.

After these scenes I realized Menma existed just in Jintan's eyes, while before I thought she existed, period. So that was a surprise, at least as far as I am concerned.

Check back to page 3 of this thread,one of the PVs of the show had Memma saying the line "Even I know...that I'm already dead." so even in the previews they told you.

As I said, from what I remembered of some promo. I try not to spoil myself too much, plus I never really cared for noitamina, since most of the stuff they put on that zone are lacking in so many departments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by totoum

I think Malkuth thought that the surprise would come later than the first couple minutes and the show would keep the viewer guessing

Also @pellissier, I more of hoped (rather than thought) that they could work the surprise better. Still I must say that despite having a clear idea of what was going on with Honma, the scene with her family did not lose its impact.

Another fun fact, a show targeting jaded single office ladies growing out of shoujo manga acknowledge the existence of pornography... that was hilarious

Since Otakus are primarily character driven when it comes to buying anime-related merchandise, maybe they were drawn to Menma's moeness... but who knows.

And it's funny... I came from an Asian drama background, got tired of it and now my favourite animes are those that seems Asian drama like.

Well, I can pretty much say that impact of this first episode almost equals the impact of Madoka 3rd episode. Character hasn't even introduced properly yet, and recent trend proves that Otaku isn't mindless jerks who only buys something with moe, but something with moe + quality.

While it might be too early to tell, but the feeling I get from the first episode was actually all about moving on from childhood/adolescence (not reliving it); that dwelling in the past (especially traumatic experiences) is childish and that moving forward is the adult thing to do. Or at least, that's the direction I think the series is going towards to. I mean, what other direction can Jinta go when his current self is still all emo about the past, about not being able to say sorry to Menma before she died?

So yeah, if anything, AnoHana is actually trying to convey the exact opposite of what you think it is trying to tell us.

The story is about adolescents growing up, so you're correct about the show's theme.

Nevertheless the series is aimed at an adult audience, so reliving adolescence (the joy, pain, bewilderment, and innocence that go along with it) is very much the point. I think that's what SeijiSensei is getting at. While the show may achieve what it set out to do, it's unlikely to interest people who want more sophisticated stories that focus on adult life.

That's kind of the disconnect between the anime market and other forms of entertainment. For instance, young adult novels, no matter how acclaimed they may be, are intended for a very specific demographic. It isn't like you'll find many adults demanding more Catcher in the Rye, Outsiders, or other teen oriented novels they read in junior high. However, adult-oriented anime is almost all about immersing the viewer in the world of children/teenagers again.

Also @pellissier, I more of hoped (rather than thought) that they could work the surprise better. Still I must say that despite having a clear idea of what was going on with Honma, the scene with her family did not lose its impact.

Heh, but that has most likely to do with the fact they only have 11 episodes. As said in a previous post, while Hanasaku Iroha has 26 episode to work with and can dilute the emotions (having the result of making the audience grow more attached to the characters and consequently more involved when drama/tragedy comes into play), AnoHana has only 11 and thus need to speed up. Even so the powerfulness of certain scenes ine episode 1 more than made up for it.

I agree on the family visit scene. It was poignant, especially when the camera zoomed on Menma's eyes while crying and replying to her mama on the matter that even she would have noticed she's dead.